The Rebel Set

"This Rebel Set album is rocking my socks straight off. I can not encourage this sort of sound enough." -WUTK Knoxville, TN *** The Rebel Set – Poison Arrow (Silver Hornet) "By mixing a heavy helping of dark, reverb-drenched surf with 1960’s garage punk, The Rebel Set certainly have found a unique, driven sound. Over all, the album’s tracks have a sort of darkness or heaviness flowing through them that Is hard to explain. I can only compare it to the feeling of listening to “California Dreaming” or The Sadies “Darker Circles” album, or to witnessing the first foggy, gloomy day of Fall. Yeah! Gloom! That’s the word I’m looking for! However, driven lyrics and drum beats keep the album upbeat and exciting." - KUCI Irvine, CA *** 9/25/10:::Silver Hornet The Rebel Set are a three piece garage rock group from Phoenix and when I say “garage” rock band, I’m not talking about the recent trend of noisy lo-fi music. These guys are a real “garage” rock band. The trio takes from early sixties punk, surf, and psych. The guitar kicks ass, the songs are even dirtier, and the production sounds like that of an old sixties garage punk 45. Standout tracks include, “Poison Arrow”, a dark brooding garage cut with an extremely catchy verse, “Martian”, with guitar that harkens back to Apache, and an eerie theramin intro, “Birds and Bees”, a 60’s punk throwback that is impossible not to thrash to, and “Muckraker”, which sounds like an early Iggy Pop song. Overall, this album rules and these guys should be proud for creating something new and awesome out of something old and awesome. -WRUV Burlington, VT *** The Rebel Set Poison Arrow (Silver Hornet Records) "This trio hails from Phoenix, which may be one of those secret cool cities most people don’t know about. Poison Arrow is one big tambourine-smashing dance party. Frenzied maracas rattle in the background on several tracks and surf guitar is prominent throughout, but there’s also a hefty helping of garage rock. Recording in analog increases the vintage sound. Guitarist/vocalist Joe Zimmerman has a high, sharp voice, making the lyrics sound mean and snotty—in a good way. By track 5 you might be thinking, Hey, all these songs sound kinda the same. But that’s OK—they sound awesome." -Sonic Reducer *** June 25, 2010 -Blurt Magazine "The BLURT staff put our heads (and ears) together and we have the latest (June 2010) pick for our Blurt/Sonicbids "Best Kept Secret": it's Phoenix-area trio The Rebel Set. The band came together a few years ago in Scottsdale via a mutual love of classic surf music from the early ‘60s, ground-zero ‘70s punk and ‘90s lo-fi garage - cited influences include Link Wray, Dick Dale, Duane Eddy, The Ramones, The Rezillos, The Drags, and Rocket From The Crypt, so you know these guys ain't putzin' around, pal! In October of 2008 they released a 4-song EP, Teenage Killer, and quickly became a Valley club mainstay, additionally notching an impressive regional rep (they were a hit at the Neon Reverb Festival in Vegas earlier this year) while prepping material for their full-length debut. The resulting Poison Arrow, which arrived in April courtesy Silver Hornet Records, is not to be missed if you are an aficionado of the above-mentioned styles and artists. We'll have an interview with the band posted to the site shortly. Check out the band's MySpace and Facebook pages for song samples, tour dates and more. And congratulations to The Rebel Set. They're one of the good ‘uns, trust us." -By Fred Mills, Blurt Magazine *** The Rebel Set is a talented surf rock band that is definitely something to be recognized as a local sound off the beaten path. Fans of old-fashioned surf punk enclosed with a fuzzy garage sound will definitely find a home at their shows, along with enjoying a personal spin of the anticipated album. Some of the band's influences include: Link Wray, Rocket From The Crypt, The Tornados, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Holly Golightly, The Raveonettes, Buddy Holly, Duane Eddy, The Buzzcocks, The Ventures, The Original Surfaris, Lee Hazelwood, Nancy Sinatra, The Ronettes, Al Casey, Hubb Kapp and the Wheels, and Ryan and the Wipers. " -Lauren Cusimano, ASU West Times *** "From the reverb-heavy spy-rock instrumental that ushers you into the album to the lo-fi psychobilly swagger of a final track called "14th Floor," the Rebel Set's first full-length effort, "Poison Arrow," effortlessly lives up to the promise of the band name (a B-movie reference) and album art based on "The Man With the Golden Arm." The lead guitar is steeped in all the classic surf and spy-rock moves, but the overall vibe of the record is closer in spirit to the lo-fi garage-punk aesthetic of acts like Billy Childish and the Mummies." -Ed Masley, Arizona Republic *** "One minute you’re gettin’ down on the classic surf feel of the band, the next minute, you feel as though the drugs have kicked in just a little too hard and everything’s all distorted and real. Think of the Ghastly Ones mixed in a cocktail with Iggy Pop. Dick Dale in a blender with the Ramones. Or when Man…or Astroman? actually sings chopped up and served with a side of Reverend Horton Heat. Joe, Chad and Jeff do a great job of bringing these hooligan sounds together. While Joe is strumming away a wicked Spanish lead, Chad is slogging a swampy cool bass line with Jeff banging out his swingin’ surf rhythm to your heart’s content. And talk about lo-fi. This album sounds like it was recorded out in my garage. Which is to say it sounds perfect. The slurred, brackish vocals stand atop a mountain of distorted reverb guitar, slap-happy tambourine, not-quite-there bass and an overall feeling of openness. The album has been on constant rotation for me since hearing it. I can’t get on with my day unless I hear the chorus on “Teenage Killer” or the riff on “14th Floor.” So all you beatnik bums and go-go ghouls, do what you can to get a copy of the Rebel Set’s Poison Arrow into your hot little hands. You’re sure to be able to snag a copy at one of their upcoming shows around the valley. Or if you’re ready hit the street and beat the heat, the Rebel Set gang will be playing up in Prescott twice in the next two weeks. So go ahead! Grab your peach, storm the beach, and shimmy, shake and shiver with the Rebel Set all summer long." -Mark Anderson, YabYum Music *** Aug 2, 2010 - Blurt Magazine The Rebel Set's been around for about five years now, issuing the Teenage Killer EP in 2008 and following that up this past April with the Poison Arrow full-length. The trio has toured steadily throughout the Southwest, additionally gracing several regional compilations, and with plans to expand their touring reach, there's a good chance the rest of the country will soon be able to get a firsthand taste of their raw, unfiltered twang. (And sharp attire, too - these guys don't fuck around in concert, donning suits and often utilizing classic film footage as part of their stage presentation.) Oh, and about that band name: it was lifted from a 1959 B-grade teensploitation film, The Rebel Set, directed by Gene Fowler, Jr. and starring Gregg Palmer. According to IMDB.com, it concerns "three beatniks are brought together to rob an armored car, only to face betrayal from amongst their ranks." Classy! -Fred Mills, Blurt Magazine *** Nicely lo-fi garage/punk/surf with vocals pushing the meters into the red. This Tempe, AZ band lists the BUZZCOCKS and WIPERS as influences, so they've definitely got good taste. Lots of cool reverb guitar and rockin a tambourine to get that party started! -Pirate Cat Radio, San Francisco *** "As UNLV tips off against BYU in the Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals Friday night at the Thomas & Mack, another band of Rebels springs into action just up the road. The Rebel Set, a spiffy surf/garage trio from the Phoenix area, help ring in Neon Reverb Night 2 at Yayo Taco, off Maryland Parkway near the UNLV campus." -Spencer Patterson, Las Vegas Weekly Hip shakin' rock and roll from the desert. New EP out 1/6/17 on Hidden Volume Records!! Preorder now at hiddenvolume.com